It’s the kind of car that says, I mean business—but I also have impeccable taste.
I whistle low.
“This is a really nice ride.”
His mouth twitches, just enough to show he’s pleased.
“Thanks,” he says, casual, sliding into the driver’s seat with predatory grace. “Want music?”
“Sure,” I say, grinning as I buckle in, “but you’re not gonna like it.”
One dark brow arches. “Try me.”
Oh, this man has no idea what he’s in for.
I flip on the radio, scroll through the stations until I find the Seasonal Hits Holiday Extravaganza, and crank it just loud enough for Mariah Carey to belt out her annual anthem.
He groans.
Loudly.
“You wound me, Honey.”
“Ha!” I shoot back. “You’re a big man, Eb. I bet you can take it.”
His jaw flexes, a spark of something wicked in his emerald eyes.
“If you’re the one dishing it out, you bet your sweet ass I can take it.”
My breath catches.
Did he just? Yep, he did.
My entire body heats, cheeks included.
The man says it in this low, rumbling drawl that vibrates all the way down to places that should not be tingling during a casual ride to dinner.
I stare resolutely out the window as the snow drifts down in lazy flakes, pretending to focus on the glowing lights strung across the avenue.
But I can feel him glance at me, smug, like he knows exactly what kind of havoc he’s wreaking.
And damn it, he’s right.
Because between the purr of the engine, the faint scent of cedar and musk filling the cab, and the way his hands move over the steering wheel—strong, sure, and just a little possessive—I’m pretty sure I’m not hungry for sushi anymore.
I’m hungry for him.
Lucky for my pride he pulls up to a restaurant before I can make an ass of myself.
And the place he finds? It isn’t the greasy ramen joint I expected.
It’s stunning.
A warm, softly lit Japanese fusion restaurant tucked away on the edge of town.
Twinkling fairy lights spiral up the wooden beams, and paper lanterns hang overhead, casting everything in a romantic glow.
“This isn’t a hole in the wall,” I murmur, my voice catching somewhere between impressed and nervous.
